Barpeta: A late-night operation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Assam’s Barpeta district has led to the arrest of six people as part of an investigation into alleged jihadi activities and a suspected radicalisation network.
NIA teams carried out searches across areas falling under the Howly, Barpeta Road and Sorbhog police stations from Monday night. According to officials cited in reports, three people were arrested from the Sorbhog area, two from Barpeta Road and one from Howly.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Faruk Abdullah, Zakir Hussain and Chandbar Ali from the Sorbhog area, Mustafizur Rahman and Yakub Ali from the Barpeta Road area, and Rakibul Islam from Jashihatipara village under Howly.
The searches were linked to a wider investigation concerning alleged connections with Imam Mahmuder Kafila (IMK), which investigators have described as an offshoot of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). Officials are examining allegations of radicalisation and efforts to expand the organisation’s network in Assam and other northeastern states.
Investigators also recovered documents and electronic devices during the searches, with reports mentioning mobile phones and a laptop among the seized items. The agency’s wider operation reportedly covered 16 locations across Assam, West Bengal and Kerala.
One of those arrested, Rakibul Islam, had been staying in Daporijo in Arunachal Pradesh, where he was reportedly engaged in the poultry business. He had returned to his native village in Barpeta around two weeks before the NIA operation.
According to Rakibul’s father, Ali Mahmud, the documents provided by the NIA stated that his son was allegedly associated with a Telegram group called ‘Purba Akash’, or ‘Eastern Sky’. The allegation is part of the ongoing investigation and has not been established through a court finding.
Reports state that NIA personnel took Rakibul into custody from his residence during the early hours of Tuesday. Electronic devices were also seized from the premises. Following questioning at Howly Police Station, he was subsequently taken to Guwahati.
Another accused, Mustafizur Rahman, had previously been arrested by the Assam Police’s Special Task Force in March in connection with alleged jihadi activities and was later released on bail, according to reports. The NIA has now taken him into custody as part of its ongoing investigation.
The investigation remains underway, and authorities are examining the seized electronic devices and documents to determine the alleged links and activities of those arrested.
